Certain automotive vehicles have areas in which cargo can be stowed, referred to herein as a “cargo area” in the singular and as “cargo areas” the plural. Such a cargo area includes by way of example and not of limitation a bed of a truck such as a commercial truck or a pickup truck or a rear portion of a cabin of a van, sport utility vehicle, or other motor vehicle having an area in which cargo can be stowed, such as where passenger seats can be removed or laid flat.
During transit, cargo will sometimes shift in the cargo area of the vehicle, even though it may have been secured such as by being tied down. In some cases, it is desirable that the cargo remain in the position that it is stowed and that if it shifts that it be returned to its original position and resecured. In some cases, an occupant of the vehicle transporting cargo, such as the driver, visually observes the cargo on occasion to see if it has shifted. In this regard, some vehicles have cameras that are positioned to see the cargo area and a vehicle occupant can occasionally view on a display the image from the camera to see if the cargo has shifted. In other cases, a mirror is positioned to see the cargo area and a vehicle occupant can occasionally view the image in the mirror to see if the cargo has shifted. In either case, an occupant of the vehicle needs to periodically look at the image of the cargo area to see if the cargo has shifted. If the cargo shifts, the vehicle occupant would thus not be aware that the cargo has shifted until the next time the vehicle occupant observes the image of the cargo on the display (from the camera) or in the mirror.